The present disclosure relates to a numerical value inputting device and electronic equipment including the numerical value inputting device.
In an office or the like, a multifunction peripheral (MFP) having functions as a scanner, a facsimile, a printer, a copying machine and others is used. The multifunction peripheral is often used, for example, in a condition of being connected an information processing terminal, such as a personal computer via a network, such as a local area network (LAN). The multifunction peripheral works as an image forming apparatus printing image data inputted from the information processing terminal onto a sheet, an image reading device obtaining the image data used in the image forming apparatus and a document managing device searchably storing document image data.
Instruction of a user to the multifunction peripheral having the functions is inputted, for example, via an operation device arranged to the multifunction peripheral. As the operation device, an operation device provided with a touch panel is widely used. As is well known, the touch panel has a function of a display device and a function of an inputting device to display operation buttons and others and to detect a pressed position (a touched position) by a sensor or the like arranged on a display face. The operation device provided with such a touch panel is applied to various devices, not only the multifunction peripheral. Various technologies are proposed in order to improve operability of the user.
For example, as the operation device, there is operation equipment displaying an inputting part inputting a numerical value at the same position even if an operating mode of an operated device having a plurality of operating modes is changed.
Alternatively, as the operation device, there is a display device increasing the number of thumbnail images displaying content of movie data in accordance with an action of expanding a distance among a plurality of operation inputs.
In a case where the input is performed by using the touch panel, it is necessary to simultaneously display, on the display face, a display area displaying an inputted character string or an inputted numerical value and an input interface, such as input buttons, inputting the character string or the numerical value. In order to arrange the input interface considering button intervals to be operated by the user, a large screen size to some extent is required. However, in an embedding device or the like, due to various restrictions, such as a limit of cost or size or a functional limit, it is often difficult to arrange the touch panel of the large screen size.
If the touch panel of a small screen size is applied, because the input interface having many operation buttons is arranged on the touch panel, the display area becomes narrow and visibility is lowered. Therefore, it is necessary to minimize a ratio of the input interface in the touch panel. However, if the number of the operation buttons or the like of the input interface is reduced and the display area is enlarged, the operability of the input interface is lowered.
For example, if numeric keys for numerical value input are arranged as the input interface, the numerical value input is facilitated, but the display area is reduced and the visibility is lowered. On the other hand, if a numerical value increasing button and a numerical value decreasing button are arranged as the input interface, the display area may be enlarged, but the operability of the numerical value input is lowered. For example, in order to input large numerical value, the numerical value increasing button must be continuously operated.
It may be considered that hard keys are arranged as the input interface. However, since the display face of the touch panel may display various operation buttons according to various functions provided in the operated device, the hard key tends to be removed in the operation device including the touch panel. Therefore, it is not preferable to arrange the hard key.
The subject securing operability regardless the small screen size cannot be achieved by the above-mentioned techniques.